---
name: "Pod::Simple::Methody"
section: "3p"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Pod::Simple::Methody"
---

# Pod::Simple::Methody(3p)

## NAME

Pod::Simple::Methody -- turn Pod::Simple events into method calls

## SYNOPSIS

```
 require 5;
 use strict;
 package SomePodFormatter;
 use base qw(Pod::Simple::Methody);
 sub handle_text {
   my($self, $text) = @_;
   ...
 }
 sub start_head1 {
   my($self, $attrs) = @_;
   ...
 }
 sub end_head1 {
   my($self) = @_;
   ...
 }
```

...and start\_/end\_ methods for whatever other events you want to catch.

## DESCRIPTION

This class is of interest to people writing Pod formatters based on Pod::Simple.

This class (which is very small -- read the source) overrides Pod::Simple's \_handle\_element\_start, \_handle\_text, and \_handle\_element\_end methods so that parser events are turned into method calls. (Otherwise, this is a subclass of Pod::Simple and inherits all its methods.)

You can use this class as the base class for a Pod formatter/processor.

## METHOD CALLING

When Pod::Simple sees a "=head1 Hi there", for example, it basically does this:

```
  $parser->_handle_element_start( "head1", \%attributes );
  $parser->_handle_text( "Hi there" );
  $parser->_handle_element_end( "head1" );
```

But if you subclass Pod::Simple::Methody, it will instead do this when it sees a "=head1 Hi there":

```
  $parser->start_head1( \%attributes ) if $parser->can('start_head1');
  $parser->handle_text( "Hi there" )   if $parser->can('handle_text');
  $parser->end_head1()                 if $parser->can('end_head1');
```

If Pod::Simple sends an event where the element name has a dash, period, or colon, the corresponding method name will have a underscore in its place.  For example, "foo.bar:baz" becomes start\_foo\_bar\_baz and end\_foo\_bar\_baz.

See the source for Pod::Simple::Text for an example of using this class.

## SEE ALSO

Pod::Simple, Pod::Simple::Subclassing

## SUPPORT

Questions or discussion about POD and Pod::Simple should be sent to the pod-people@perl.org mail list. Send an empty email to pod-people-subscribe@perl.org to subscribe.

This module is managed in an open GitHub repository, \<https://github.com/perl-pod/pod-simple/\>. Feel free to fork and contribute, or to clone \<https://github.com/perl-pod/pod-simple.git\> and send patches!

Patches against Pod::Simple are welcome. Please send bug reports to \<bug-pod-simple@rt.cpan.org\>.

## COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS

Copyright (c) 2002 Sean M. Burke.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

## AUTHOR

Pod::Simple was created by Sean M. Burke \<sburke@cpan.org\>. But don't bother him, he's retired.

Pod::Simple is maintained by:

- •

  Allison Randal `"allison@perl.org"`

- •

  Hans Dieter Pearcey `"hdp@cpan.org"`

- •

  David E. Wheeler `"dwheeler@cpan.org"`